Since its creation, the El Gouna Cinema Festival (GFF) has established itself as one of the major meetings for Arab cinema. Both international showcase and workspace, it offers filmmakers the opportunity to present their films but also to develop their projects thanks to Cinegouna, its dedicated platform. For this 8ᵉ edition, to be held from October 16 to 24, 2025the festival has unveiled a varied Egyptian selection which reflects several trends: the emergence of young authors who sign their first feature films, the return of directors already noticed on the international scene, and the will to maintain a balance between fiction and documentary.
Mohamed Siam and the transition to fiction
Among the films in competition, My Father’s Scent Mark a turning point in Mohamed Siam’s career. The filmmaker became known by his documentaries: Whose Country?selected at IDFA, and Amalpresented in Locarno and awarded in Thessaloniki and the Carthage Cinematographic Days. In his previous works, he often explored youth, family or power relations through stories anchored in contemporary Egyptian society. With My Father’s Scenthe goes for the first time to fiction, while remaining faithful to his themes: the film stages a father-son relationship crossed by accumulated grudges and a night of revelations.
The choice of Kamel El Basha, Lion d’Or de Venice in 2017 for The Insult by Ziad Doueiriand Ahmed Malek, a young Egyptian actor whose career has an international dimension (Mohamed Diab clash,, The Furnace by Roderick Mackay), writes the film in a desire to meet several generations of performers. The project had been spotted in 2021 by Cinegouna, who had given him development support. His selection in El Gouna thus completes a course started four years ago in the professional framework of the festival.
Mohamed Rashad and an expected first fiction
With The SettlementMohamed Rashad signs his first fictional feature, after having illustrated himself in the documentary. His film Little Eagles (2016) had been noticed for his political and intimate approach at the same time, retracing the history of a generational militancy. The Settlement This time is inspired by a news item: the death of a worker on a site, which his children refuse to consider as an accident. The story, led as a thriller, confronts the protagonists with a truth difficult to establish.
Supported in 2024 by Cinegouna, the project quickly found partners in France, Germany, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The film had its world premiere in Berlin, in the perspective section, before arriving in El Gouna. For Mohamed Rashad, this is an important moment: presenting his first fictional film in a major European festival, then showing it in Egypt in a regional setting that also values local production.
Yomna Khattab and filmed autobiography
In the documentary competition, 50 meters by Yomna Khattab continues a deeply personal approach. The director films her relationship with her father and the emotional distance that separates them. The title refers to this geographic proximity – barely a few tens of meters – which is not enough to fill an inner distance. Far from a spectacular story, the film is built as an attempt to bring together the image.
Presented as a world premiere at CPH: Dox, in the Next section: Wave, 50 meters is part of a trend in contemporary documentary where the camera becomes an introspection and family repair tool. The project had been supported by Cinegouna from 2021, which testifies to the early interest of the festival for this type of intimate approaches, against the tide of a more frontal cinema.
Namir Abdel Messeeh: Back after The Virgin, the Copts and I
The second documentary in competition, Life After Siham, is signed by Namir Abdel Messeeh. Franco-Egyptian filmmaker, he had been revealed by The Virgin, the Copts and Ipresented at Cannes at Acid and rewarded at the Carthage Festival in 2011. This film already explored family and religious memory, with a staging that is both serious and fun.
With Life After Sihamhe returns to a more intimate subject: the death of his mother and the creative difficulties resulting from it. The film, co -produced with France and supported by Cinegouna in 2024, was shown this year in Cannes in the ACID section. Retranging his family history through the camera, Abdel Messeeh continues a unique work on the relationship between personal memory and collective story.
Outside competition: a first female film
Outside competition, El Gouna will host the world first of Love Imagined by Sarah Rozik. The director intersects there the journeys of a student, a woman out of a sentimental break and a teacher confronted with mourning. The film is interested in the way in which love and loss shape ordinary lives.
The role of Cinegouna
A common element connects four of the films selected in competition: they all benefited from the support of Cinegouna, whether it be development aid or postproduction. Since its launch, this platform has become a key instrument to support Arab and Egyptian filmmakers, allowing them to find international funding and structure their projects.
The fact that My Father’s Scent,, The Settlement,, 50 meters And Life After Siham are finished today and circulate at festivals attests to the efficiency of this device. This also shows the GFF’s ability to position itself not only as a broadcasting festival but also as an actor in the development of regional cinema.
On this subject, Marianne Khoury, artistic director of the festival, said:
“We are incredibly proud to announce that four films in our selection, 50 meters, Life After Siham, My Father’s Scent And The Settlementare all alumni of our flagship platform Cinegouna Funding! »»
A setting for contemporary Egyptian cinema
The 2025 programming confirms an orientation: enhancing a multiple Egyptian cinema, which is not limited to dominant popular genres but also explores memory, family, justice and feelings through more personal forms. There are confirmed filmmakers, as Siam or Abdel Messeeh, authors in transition, like Rashad, and new voices like Rozik.
About this selection, Andrew Mohsen, head of the GFF programming, said: “This year’s selection is a powerful testimony to vibrant creativity and various voices that emerge from Egypt. We are particularly happy to welcome a world premiere (Love Imagined), Alongside films made both by established filmmakers and by new authors who are already noticed on the international scene. It is an honor to celebrate their ability to capture the essence of human experience. With Sarah Gohar’s opening film, HAPPY BIRTHDAYwe are delighted to highlight the vitality and diversity of contemporary Egyptian cinema. »»
For El Gouna, who will welcome at the opening HAPPY BIRTHDAY From Sarah Gohar, this 8ᵉ edition is a way of asserting its central role in the circulation of Arab cinema. The festival aims to be a crossroads between local productions and international networks, between first films and more experienced works.
